Force Destiny

Back-to-Back

Rey could see them. Ben was caught between three Knights, two in front and one behind. They were moving swiftly and unforgivingly; all he could do was deflect their advances. He was stumbling, swinging wildly as he had done at the end on Starkiller. She knew he couldn't last much longer against the three of them. The back of his red shirt was stained with a darker, deeper shadow. It glistened in the light.

Blood.

She ran down the elevated walkway as fast as she could, activating her lightsaber.

No!" Rey screamed as she watched one of the Knights closest to her strike forward and stab Ben. The second Knight heard her scream and turned. She recognized the armor. Jaina. The Knight began advancing toward her down the skyway, so Rey charged her. Jaina swung with velocity as she approached, and the strike burned her shoulder. Rey tried to Force push her away but it was weakened somehow. The Force drove the woman a step back, but it was ineffective in comparison to its normal capacity. She tried again with the same weakened result. What was happening?

Jaina began a quick succession of strikes that knocked her off balance. Rey was confident, but it was obvious that the Knight had extensive training. Their sabers clashed. She noticed in front of her that Ben had switched positions and was now closer to the center of the skyway—closer to her. If she could fight her way to him, they would have an advantage.

She advanced toward Jaina, feinting to her left side before rolling toward her right. As she spun, she forced Jaina to block as she moved past her. Rey had achieved what she wanted. She was closer to the inside of the skyway. Keeping Jaina in her sights, she rushed backward until she reached Ben.

His relief at having her at his back flowed through the bond. They stood back to back, blocking and striking in unison as if they had choreographed an intricate dance and only they knew the melody. Lightsabers clashed, and both were forced back into each other. The last time they were back to back, he had supported her as she had fallen back against him for leverage. This time, she supported him as he swayed with weakness. It was them against the universe, but there was no one else she would rather be fighting with. The feeling of safety from his presence wrapped around her and brought her confidence to defeat Jaina.

Rey feigned striking high and rolled the saber with her wrist, reversing her grip. She slashed lower, and Jaina was barely able to block her. She heard the clashing of lightsabers and Ben's uneven breathing behind her. Another explosion rocked the ship, and she realized there was a large fire developing below them. If they wanted a chance to make it off the ship, they needed to end the fight.

She swung her lightsaber wildly as she tried to break through Jaina's defenses. The Knight's repertoire of advanced skills made breaking through those defenses nearly impossible. Jaina knew exactly which way to deflect or parry to send her off balance or nearly lead her into a fatal mistake. Rey swung her saber down upon her, which she easily blocked, and the Knight kicked her backward.

Rey dropped her lightsaber as she fell. She scrambled backward to escape from the Knight. She heard the crackling of clashing lightsabers behind her and knew Ben wouldn't be able to get to her. She realized her saber was behind Jaina and likely wouldn't get to her hand in time to block the incoming strike. Without hesitation, Jaina swung her lightsaber down to finish her off.

Weaponless, Rey did the only thing she could do. She summoned her lightsaber. Her connection to it was weaker than before, but it still responded to the call from her soul. Mid-air, as Ben had done in the throne room, she ignited it with the Force. The weapon burst to life, and one of the lightsaber's dual blades pierced through Jaina's back into her abdomen. The Knight gasped in surprise as she dropped to her knees. Rey pulled her weapon from Jaina's back without a drop of remorse as darkness howled in her veins.